(CNN) - First lady Michelle Obama condemned the "unconscionable" kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls, saying the action was taken by "a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education."

"Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken" over the mass kidnapping by the terrorist group Boko Haram, the first lady said Saturday in the White House weekly address.

soundoff(34 Responses)

Chris-E...al

Maybe Mrs 0bama can get something to work in the W.H. even if it is a month late gee wizz ? Those poor girls needed help badly and found none and its just sad to set on our hands this long and just look away .

May 10, 2014 11:20 am at 11:20 am |

smith

I have no idea what planet the first lady is on. The girls were kidnapped to make a statement and to be used for bait.Where she got the motive of the terrorist group was to strip the girls of an education is strange.

May 10, 2014 11:27 am at 11:27 am |

freedom

This president does nothing to assist those in dire need – he only serves himself and his America-hating agenda. And by the way, Michelle, terrorists don't give a damn about hashtags.

May 10, 2014 11:54 am at 11:54 am |

Bill from GA

to smith

While I haven't spoken with the terrorist leader personally, it is generally understood that the statement he wanted to make was that he didn't want the Nigerian schoolgirls to be educated. Probably, the First Lady is better informed than you.

May 10, 2014 11:56 am at 11:56 am |

rs

smith
I have no idea what planet the first lady is on. The girls were kidnapped to make a statement and to be used for bait.Where she got the motive of the terrorist group was to strip the girls of an education is strange.
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Not as strange as you might think. At the core of most fundamentalist religious terrorist organizations is a hatred of public secular education, especially for women. Al Qaeda is there, so is the Taliban. Boko Heram is admittedly way out there, and hard to classify as purely religiously based, but one of their core beliefs is that western-style education is bad like Al Qaeda and the Taliban and others.

May 10, 2014 12:05 pm at 12:05 pm |

ThinkAgain - Don't like Congress? Get rid of the repub/tea bag majority.

I simply cannot imagine the pain these mothers are dealing with. The thought of my children being abducted and disappeared makes my heart truly ache. I hope that all behind-the-scenes actions our nation is engaging in to help this crisis will soon bring this nightmare to an end.

May 10, 2014 12:06 pm at 12:06 pm |

ThinkAgain - Don't like Congress? Get rid of the repub/tea bag majority.

@freedom: "This president does nothing to assist those in dire need – he only serves himself and his America-hating agenda. And by the way, Michelle, terrorists don't give a damn about hashtags."

BTW, freedom, I am looking forward to when that blind hatred you carry around finishes rotting you from the inside out and you no longer walk this mortal coil.

May 10, 2014 12:07 pm at 12:07 pm |

rs

freedom
This president does nothing to assist those in dire need – he only serves himself and his America-hating agenda. And by the way, Michelle, terrorists don't give a damn about hashtags.
_____________
Be sure to pass that nonsense on to Pan Am 103 terror sponsor Quadaffi and 9/11 mastermind bin Laden when you see them. The only anti-Americans I know are the GOP and the TEA Party.

May 10, 2014 12:08 pm at 12:08 pm |

don in albuquerque

freedom
talk about hate filled day in and day out. And what are hashtags?

May 10, 2014 12:33 pm at 12:33 pm |

smith

@Bill GA-Boko Haram said they kndnapped the girls to sell them into the slavery not to prevent them from getting an education. If preventing girls from getting an education was the motive then the group would have blown up the school or kidnapped the teachers. This was a statement by the group to gain clout in the islamic terrorist network and to draw in the US into a jihad.

May 10, 2014 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

Blake

@Smith

What Bill from GA said. The terrorist group's very name means "Western Education is Sin." They kidnapped the girls to make a statement that they shouldn't be educated, because not only is education sinful, but they're girls that should at most be property of men in their eyes.

But I have to love all the critics of this photo etc. Sure hash tags and speaking out doesn't solve the problem, but it doesn't hurt. I don't understand why people get critical of people actually doing something, anything, when they themselves wouldn't lift a finger. However, people do have a point when they say that if this happened in any Western country these girls would have been found ASAP. Then again this actually happens all over the world everyday, just on smaller scale.

May 10, 2014 01:41 pm at 1:41 pm |

reggie53

"Our girls" ......who is she speaking about? Were there American girls kidnapped? Maybe if they are found, Obama will grant them citizenship here in America seeing that they are "our girls".

May 10, 2014 01:44 pm at 1:44 pm |

ED1

Another photo op where is Obama.

May 10, 2014 03:50 pm at 3:50 pm |

Jeff Brown in Jersey

So much hate from the right on this issue. I guess kidnapping girls who are black is no big deal to them. Guess what Smith and Chris-E...al and reggie53... In a few years, YOU will be in the minority and YOU will be screaming bloody murder if people of color treat you the way you treat them. JUST SAYIN'!!!!!

May 10 It's clear what these kidnapping non-believing Atheists that took 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria need is a good strong dose of Allah, Moses and Jesus Saves. If all these terrorist Atheists around the world just had some god-fearing religion in their lives mankind would live in peace and women would be free to prosper as human beings. Here in America it's all them Atheists telling the legislatures and Congress what to do. If your smart you'll blame all them evangelical born again Atheists for all your troubles. Some Atheist man in Afghanistan shot a young school girl right in the face. What we need for the betterment of all mankind is surely more religion, that's the ticket.

May 10, 2014 04:58 pm at 4:58 pm |

smith

@Blake-Boko means an object or idea that is false or based on fraud concepts. Haram means forbidden in Islam. FIFY.

May 10, 2014 05:07 pm at 5:07 pm |

Chuck

Its good to let everyone know you care, but talk is cheap, do something!

May 10, 2014 05:14 pm at 5:14 pm |

Jacques Shellac

Guess this is one way to distract the US public from Ukraine and Syria.

May 10, 2014 05:18 pm at 5:18 pm |

smith

@Jeff Brown-What on earth are you talking about? I just disagree about the motive of Boko Haram. What does that have to do the race?

May 10, 2014 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |

J Anthony

@Smith: give it up, you're wrong on this one. This group's very name translates into anti-western education. So the real question here is, what planet are YOU on?

May 10, 2014 05:24 pm at 5:24 pm |

Pope Algore

Awesome... this sums up the Obama White House PERFECTLY.

Barack issued one of his patented "Red Lines" (not quite willing to call Boko Harma "terrorists") while Michelle made a frowny face and posed for her obedient LibMedia while holding a sign with a Twitter hashtag on it.

Yes-sir-eeeeeee, those girls will be coming home any moment now.

May 10, 2014 05:27 pm at 5:27 pm |

Pope Algore

Awesome... this sums up the Obama White House PERFECTLY.

Barack issued one of his patented "Red Lines" while Michelle made a frowny face and posed for her obedient media buddies while holding a sign with a Twitter hashtag on it.

Yep, those girls will be coming home any moment now.

May 10, 2014 05:28 pm at 5:28 pm |

Nadeem Zakaria

It's funny how she only gets involved when it happens to people of a particular backgound.

May 10, 2014 05:28 pm at 5:28 pm |

i'malib

pictureamerica

May 10 It's clear what these kidnapping non-believing Atheists that took 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria need is a good strong dose of Allah, Moses and Jesus Saves. If all these terrorist Atheists around the world just had some god-fearing religion in their lives mankind would live in peace and women would be free to prosper as human beings. Here in America it's all them Atheists telling the legislatures and Congress what to do. If your smart you'll blame all them evangelical born again Atheists for all your troubles. Some Atheist man in Afghanistan shot a young school girl right in the face. What we need for the betterment of all mankind is surely more religion, that's the ticket.
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That's right! And free healthcare!

May 10, 2014 07:11 pm at 7:11 pm |

don in albuquerque

pictureamerica
What a load of garbage.
Go beg your God for forgiveness.